tfov. 2; am 



TMi TRapieAL AaRteuLTyiisT, 



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£e£as 



mmssmm 



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trmes, especially the Native ones. The European kinds 

 as a rule do not thrive. 



Garden far Herbaceous Flants. — On another terrace 

 adjoining the kitchen gardeu, I began an herbaceous 

 botanical garden, but the plants have not done well, 

 owing I think chiefly to its very exposed situation. 



Nurseries. — The old nurseries having become over- 

 crowded with plants, I am converting the remainder 

 of the terraces into new ones, and these will be com- 

 pleted during the present season. Our stock of plants 

 has increased enormously both as regards variety and 

 numbers, as will be seen from a perusal of the price 

 list which was printed for distribution last spring. 



The witty pi-actice of destroying labels or of chang- 

 ing their places is not confined to public gardens in 

 England, as it has been manifested during the last 

 year in these gardens. 



(b) Goi-ernment House Gardens. — These are in a 

 better state than they have been hitherto. The lawns 

 about the place are in fair order, flower beds and 

 shrubberies have been planted, which make the place 

 look leas bare, and now that proper spouting has 

 been put up around the roof of Government House 

 and that of the Private Secretary it will be possible 

 to plant creepers up the walls. In my last year's 

 report I stated that many of the trees in front of 

 Government House were in a bad condition, and that 

 I thought they would not last many years longer, 

 and I regret to say that my prognostication has only 

 been too fully verified. Several scores of big trees 

 have been cut down during the year, and as many more 

 will, I am afraid, have to be removed during the 

 present one. The green house which was put up 

 last season has proved to be a good one for growing 

 plants in. 



The blue-gums which are in close proximity to the 

 servants' houses ought to be removed as, in my 

 opinion, they are dangerous. The trees are one hun- 

 dred and fifty feet in height, and if during one of 

 our high winds any were to be blown down and fa'l 

 over these houses serious damage and even loss of 

 life might be the result. 



(f) StonelioufC Park. — The trees which were planted 

 out on this estate the year before last are doing 

 well. A little planting was done during the past year, 

 and a little more which will be carried out during 

 the present season will complete all that is wanted. 

 Barbed wire for fencing this estate has been ordered 

 from England, and will be put up as soon as it arrives. 



{(V) Chvrch Hill Park. — The usual upkeep has been 

 maintained. 



(f) Crevc niid U(t/(y Hall Kalatca mil (uljoiitin;/ 

 (jrovnd. — These estates were kept weeded during the 

 j'ear and portions of them planted with trees and 

 shrubs. The land lying between Crewe Hall and 

 Stonehouse was fenced to keep ou.t cattle. This bit 

 of ground is in a very rough state, and I propose dig- 

 ging or ploughing it up during winter and planting it 

 perhaps with potatoes or some other such crop for 

 one season with a ^iew of cleaning it, after which it 

 will be put down in grass. 



(D) OooNooK— /Y; Sim's Park.— 'rim condition of 

 this park is good. -Several of the bridges have been 

 substantially repaired, and the roads and paths have 

 all been maintained in good order. The bridle road 

 through the new shola has been finished at a total 

 cost, including the bridj{c, of B,642-9-l. This road 

 is much frequented and is, I think, a great addition 

 to the park. 



Ni'.nerieb, — These have been established and are being 

 gradually stocked with the indigenous plants of the 

 neighbourhood. 



(b). BAiiLivAK — (;/) iixperi mental Garden.— Thiiiga 

 are looking well in theise gardens. Several new plants 

 have been put out here during the year, but damige 

 was done to some of then) by wild pig. Of the old 

 plants, the Mangosteen and Litchi produced a quantity 

 of fruit. It is Olid that there should be so little 

 demand for these trees, for, after the mango, they 

 are by far the best fruits which we have in Southern 

 India, and, I believe, that they would thrive and grow 

 rapidly io almost any part of the coimtry, 



III. PROPOSITI) Museum or NAT^jRAt. MtsroRy ix 

 OoTALA^MUND,— In revicAviug my report of last year, 

 I was desired to obtain and .^ubmit plans and estimates 

 for the building suggested by me. This has been 

 done. 



lY. Hekbakiu.m. — The number of dried plants col- 

 lected during the last few years had accumulated to 

 such an extent that the old oHice at the entrance 

 of the gardens was inadequate for the purpose of 

 properly storing them, and 1 Ibercfure asked to be 

 allowed to convert the old Cinchona laboratory into 

 a new repository for the collection. This alternation 

 Government sanctioned, and the herbarium is now 

 housed in its new liouse. The building is roomy and 

 all that I can desire. 



A'. JiiBRARY. — E5'JU-4-l were spent during the 

 year on books, K,365-]l-3 being spent on botanical 

 works, and R224-5-10 on chemical works for the 

 use of the Quinologist ; the balance of the allotment 

 of Rl,20(t, or Rt309-ll-ll, was unexpended be- 

 cause it was not known what botanical works might 

 be eventually obtainable from tho library of the 

 t'entral Museum, Madras. This will now shortly ho 

 determined, as I propose during the coming autunm 

 to visit the Museum with the view of arrrangiug for 

 the transfer of the herbarium to this Department. 



VI. NOI'ES ON" SOME OF THK MORK INTERESTING PlAMS 



which have been tntitoduced ok guown jn the 

 Gardens ourint; thk vkar. 



1. Eiijthro.vylon coca. — This plant grows very rapidly 

 from seed and cuttings, and a large number were 

 raised in the green houses at Ootacamund, but the 

 demand for it has ceased, and I think wisely, for al- 

 though there can be no doubt but that the plant 

 would grow well in many parts of Soutliern India, 

 it would not be hkely to compete profitably with the 

 vast tracts of country in South America where it is 

 already so largely cultivated. 



2. /i'('cf^/.y/)^«.— Major A. 0. Smith, U.K., Executive 

 Engineer, Public "Works Department, has frequently 

 spoken and written to me about the desirability of 

 growing the better sorts of Eucalyptus in this country 

 for the purposes of timber. The following species 

 flourish on these Hills: — 



E. jitarffinatus, E. siderophloia, E. calophj/Ua, E. 

 piperita, E. oMiqi'.a.— All these are reckoned admirable 

 as timber trees in Australia, and in tile course of 

 a few weeks I could supply the Conservator of Forests 

 with seed of all of them. 



3. CastUloa eJadica. — Colonel Campbell-AV'alker in a 

 letter to the Board of Revenue, Ktt. 2,l.')(i, of the 27th 

 January 188(5, embodied in f!.0.. No. 231, of tlie24tL 

 March 1886, Revenue, states that this valuable Indiar. 

 rubber producing tree has at last been finally establised 

 by Mr. T. -T. 1-^erguson at Calicut. I ,saw 'Sir. Ferguson's 

 trees 18 months ago, and they were growing magni- 

 ficently, and as it has at last been found easy to raise 

 these trees from cuttings, I hope they will in the 

 future form no unimportant item in the forestry of 

 this place, The other rubber-producing plants have 

 so far been a failure, either through their not yield- 

 ing as much rubber as they do in America, or !«;- 

 cause we have not yet learnt how to tap the tretJi 

 properly. 



•1. .l/a/io;v"'(//.~Iu my last year's reixirt I stated that 

 I had received two rasks of the seed of this plant 

 from Mr. Thiseltou Dyer. The seed arrived in magni- 

 ficent orde.v and was distributed chiefly to Colonel 

 Campbell-Walker and Mr. (Jamble of iha Forest 

 Department and to the Agri- Horticultural Society n» 

 Madras. iSlmost e\ei>y seed germinated and tens of 

 thousands of plants must have been raised. From a 

 single pound sown in the green houses at Ootaca- 

 mund between three and four thousand plants were 

 obtained, some of these haxe been sold and the 

 remainder will be handed over to Mr. (Jumble. 



1 had the pleasure of visiting last autumn the 

 teak forest in chargo of Mr. <t. Uadfield, Deputy 

 Conservator of Forests, Nilambur. It was a treat to 

 see the grand growth which tho teak trees had 

 made during the last 40 years. In tho forest were 

 wnoy tiue spccimeu^ vi yuuwi,' Blabogauy titjos, by^ 



